


Choose love or sympathy

by Amber_Flicker



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Emotionally Repressed, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Touch-Starved, Trust Issues, Very little dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6565273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amber_Flicker/pseuds/Amber_Flicker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hartley craved affection and approval. He thrived on it.</p><p>Mark wanted to feel connected and useful. He wanted someone to make him feel whole again.</p><p> </p><p>To put it simply, Hartley and Mark were emotional wrecks.</p><p>(Aka: Amber imagines ways her rarepairs could get together)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Choose love or sympathy

**Author's Note:**

> Title from XO by Fall Out Boy

Hartley didn't like most people. That was one of the few aspects of his personality not caused by emotional trauma, it had always been that way. People grated on his nerves, with how they could never keep up, never understand. People with their fake pleasantries and small-talk. 

Even if he took a liking to someone, he didn't often outwardly show it. That made him vulnerable, and he refused to let that happen ever again. The moment he showed anything someone would take advantage of it. That's how people were. Perhaps somewhere he realized this, this wasn't how it really was. But it was hardly his fault that it was his mindset now. Everyone he'd ever cared about had crippled his trust. So he didn't form attachments to people, because people couldn't be trusted. And he didn't have high expectations. He didn't wait for them to like him. That would be a waste of time. Hartley wasn't a likeable person. Which was just as well, it allowed him to stay distanced.

 

Mark had other reasons for staying unattached. He was worried- no, terrified- that as soon as he got close they'd end up dead. He was a criminal and so were all the Rogues, it was a logical(if drastic) way of thinking. Criminals were likely to end up dead somehow, more so than regular people. That's what he told himself. After his brother's death he'd locked down most of his emotions, anger and the thirst for revenge taking over. He gave into the ache of misery only just after he'd found out, the weather all over Central city a downpour.

Stuck in the pipeline for all those months, anger faded to a hollowness, deep depression consuming him. After that was released, other emotions began to surface, but he wasn't healed. He wasn't okay. He was able to put on an act by the time he joined up with the Rogues. It didn't seem to truly fool any of them, but they didn't question. All of them were in varied states of turmoil. The gaping hole in his chest remained unfilled, because he wouldn't let anyone in.

Hartley craved affection and approval. He thrived on it.

Mark wanted to feel connected and useful. He wanted someone to make him feel whole again.

To put it simply, Hartley and Mark were emotional wrecks.

That's why it wasn't particularly surprising to anyone when they began to form a close bond. The two barely noticed at first, believing they were still _alone_ , but even they had to acknowledge the change eventually. 

And both fought it. Hartley locked himself away, unable to handle the fact that he _trusted_ someone so much. Mark avoided him and everyone else, afraid he'd grown far too close to them all. It was over a week before Lisa gave them both a stern talking to, telling them to quit being idiots and accept it. And no one ignored Lisa, not only because she was scary when she was angry, but because often, she was right.

They only talked for a few minutes- neither was going to just pour out their emotions or thoughts, but it was enough. They were both a little shattered, but those jagged edges fit together just right. Their friendship only deepened until it had become more than that.

That's when they had to talk again. It was shockingly Hartley who initiated it, and it was also Hartley who, albeit hesitantly, suggested they give a relationship a shot. Hearing that out his mouth was enough to stun Mark to silence. Hartley didn't do relationships, not since the disaster that was his last with Harrison Wells. And Mark, well... He was still just as terrified of losing someone he loved.

"I can barely look after myself most of the time." _How am I supposed to worry about you, too?_

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not great at it either." Hartley leaned into him. He needed physical contact as much as he needed approval. Mark didn't push him away because he did too. "That doesn't mean i'm not willing to try."

"I can't promise it won't end badly."

"But we'll never know if we don't do it, will we?" _It can't possibly be any worse than how previous relationships ended,_ he didn't say.

"Fuck it all." Throw caution to the wind for once, his mind supplied. "Alright."

**Author's Note:**

> I blame PepperCat. 
> 
> This is a thing I wrote on a whim, I didn't edit it. 
> 
> Come say hi at http://cliches-and-coffee.tumblr.com/


End file.
